Fortnite is one of the most popular live-service games out there for brands to partner with. Epic Games has proven it’s skilled at making deals with a variety of different brands. The company has had its eyes on sports brands in the last year, partnering with both the NBA and the NFL. And now, Epic could be adding another sport to its portfolio with a potential Fortnite and FIFA collab.
There are currently challenges in Fortnite‘s files for something called “World Cup,” according to data miner HYPEX. With the next World Cup starting on Nov. 20, 2022, it makes sense that these challenges would be alluding to FIFA’s World Cup. Players may be able to celebrate in the game with the challenges found in the files.
With Epic’s new screen viewing feature in Creative, players might be able to watch live coverage of the games as they’re happening. This will depend on whether Epic has created a map for the event, which it usually does. As with past sports collabs, Epic could also add unique characters with jerseys representing the different competing teams or logos for this year.
In the same vein, HYPEX also found a few different sections of the game’s upcoming challenges. In a now-deleted post, the data miner said that there could also be Star Wars challenges coming to the game again this season. The fact that they’ve found different lightsabers in the files also gives this rumor credibility.
Whether these are just battle royale challenges or a whole new Creative level, players might be able to take part sometime around when the World Cup starts two months from today.
Update Sept. 21 1:37am CT: An Epic Games spokesperson denied that Fortnite and FIFA will be partnering for the World Cup. “This rumor isn’t accurate and is purely speculation. We do not have a partnership with FIFA for the World Cup,” they told Dot Esports. The article has been updated to reflect this information.
